Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Pumped Up Pasta Sauce

Pasta is one of my favorite meals. It's such a comfort food. So, with hubby traveling like mad these past few weeks, it's been a regular in our house. I always try to have at least some veggies in our dinners...think about it--if you just have a tiny bit of kale (for example) finely chopped in each dinner all week, you and your family have eaten an entire bunch by the end of the week! Sooo much more appealing (to me, at least) than a big pile of steamed kale.

Don't tell Lainey, but I don't even like kale.

Anyway, back to the meal. This is sooo quick and easy, and perfect for those last minute, what-the-heck-am-I-going-to-make-for-dinner moments. I always add veggies to pasta sauce--it can be made into a chunky sauce, or pureed for a smooth sauce if you think chunks will be a family turn-off. Take whatever vegetables you have handy...I used about 3 small carrots (haha, remember those?), 3-4 kale leaves, and a handful of mushrooms. Other veggie ideas: zucchini, summer squash, spinach, extra garlic, broccoli...anything goes! Throw it all in the food processor to chop it finely. Throw it in your sauce pan with just a little olive oil and heat it for a few mintues, add your jar of marinara sauce, and simmer long enough so the veggies are cooked, about 20 minutes. That's it. Sure to be devoured...what kid doesn't like pasta?

One last thing to consider when you make meals like this...instead of going with the new trend of "sneaking" veggies to your kids, why not watch quietly as they devour their meal, and then point out how much they liked it, and tell them what it was? "Did you like that spaghetti? You did? Oh, good, I knew you would love that sauce with yummy carrots and kale in it!" This way you can help them learn that sometimes vegetables (even kale...) can be good!